Mambo Sinuendo, Ry Cooder's collaboration with Cuban guitar legend Manuel Galbán, hearkens back to a point in the late 1950s when Cuban popular music began to hint at a fusion of American pop-jazz and the futuristic creations of modern Cuban composers (such as Perez Prado)
Borne along by the mid-century mambo and cha-cha-cha crazes, the hot sounds of mambo-jazz spread out into American popular culture — Perez Prado was Vegas-bound; Stan Kenton hit the road with his Cuban Fire orchestra; Henry Mancini scored Touch of Evil 224; la Prado; and Duane Eddy had a top-10 hit with the mambo-esque Theme from Peter Gunn. But nowhere can there be found a more perfect representation of this style than in the recordings of the Havana doo-wop quartet Los Zafiros, still after 40 years the most popular Cuban vocal group of all time. As Los Zafiros's guitarist and arranger, Manuel Galbán pioneered a tough, rocking guitar style that is considered by Cuban musicians to be unique in their music. Mambo Sinuendo reintroduces Manuel Galbán — pianist, organist, and guitarist extraordinaire. 1. Drume negrita 2. Monte Adentro 3. Los Twangueros 4. Patricia 5. Caballo viejo 6. Mambo sinuendo 7. Bodas de oro 8. Échale salsita 9. La luna en tu mirada 10. Secret Love 11. Bolero sonámbulo 12. Marìa la O
Has any musician, dead or alive, appeared in a wider variety of musical settings than Ry Cooder? None comes to mind. The amazing thing about his cross-culturalism is how effectively he picks up the basic vibe of the music he's exploring while still putting his own stamp on the proceedings, all the while maintaining a deep (yet not slavish) respect as he playfully deconstructs and reassembles it.
Often when Western musicians pair up with "world music" artists, the results sound like the Western person is almost completely submerged within the musical identity of the "world" person. That happened with Henry Kaiser & David Lindley's Norway & Madagascar albums, and with various things Michael Brook has done. Not here. Ry Cooder's rootsy guitar is just as much a character in this music as Manuel Galaban and the different Cuban musicians he worked with on Mambo Sinuendo. The tunes all have a Latin fl..
Being a longtime fan of Ry Cooder, I know that any project that he emerges with will be well worth the wait and result in something special. From the beginning project with 1997's Grammy winning "Buena Vista Social Club" project, the world has come to know the richness of Cuba's almost forgotten music. Each musician has come to record a solo project from these sessions. This new project, "Mambo Sinuendo" features a small combo sound, a sound that was alive in the late '50's, early '60's. This setting does ..
